Sri Lanka cricketers leave Pakistan after bomb blast

Colombo: Eight Sri Lankan cricketers will return home without playing in their tri nation white ball series against Pakistan and Zimbabwe due to secur...

Colombo: Eight Sri Lankan cricketers will return home without playing in their tri-nation white-ball series against Pakistan and Zimbabwe due to security concerns, a Sri Lankan official said Wednesday.

The players have expressed fears for their safety following Tuesday's suicide bombing in the Pakistani capital, which killed 12 and wounded 27 outside a court.

"The second ODI against Pakistan tomorrow is in doubt, but substitute players will be sent to continue the tri-nation series," a Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) source told AFP.

Sri Lanka Cricket, in a statement, confirmed that it had instructed the team to go ahead with the tournament as scheduled despite an unspecified number of players requesting to return home.

"If any player, players, or member of the support staff return despite SLC's directives, a formal review will be conducted... and an appropriate decision will be made," the board said.